Developmental Psychology

Period

Developmental Psychology: Specialisation Coordinator: Lisa Jonkman

Period 0
25-08-201429-08-2014

Introduction Week
PSY 4950 Problem-Based Learning (training for non-UM students*) (-credits)

Period 1
01-09-2014 24-10-2014

PSY4031 Infancy (4
credits):
Hans Stauder

Period 2
27-10-2014 19-12-2014

PSY4035 Development PSY4036 Social Emotional

of Cognition and
Development (4 credits):
Language (4 credits):
Harry Smit
Hans Stauder

28 weeks

PSY4092 Research Proposal, PSY4090 Research Internship and PSY4091 Masters

Thesis (40 credits):
Sandra Mulkens

PSY4032 Perception,
Attention and Motor
Development (4 credits):
Lisa Jonkman

Practical training:
PSY4033 Measuring
Attention and Executive
Functions in Behavioural
Paradigms (2 credits):
Lisa Jonkman
or
PSY4034 EEG and ERP (2
credits):
Fren Smulders
Practical training:
PSY4037 Psychological
Test (2 credits): Hans
Stauder

*Students from Erasmus Rotterdam receive an exemption for PBL training

Developmental Psychology
Developmental psychology is the study of the development of behaviour and cognitive functions from
infancy to adulthood. In this specialisation, there is a particular focus on understanding how the
development of certain behaviours and cognitive functions relates to a persons biological constitution and
to the development of their brain. Students are familiarised with current developmental theories and
research findings from different fields and become acquainted with various diagnostic instruments and
research tools, such as event-related brain potentials (ERPs).
Students learn about the biological and environmental requirements that are needed to develop functions
such as perception, language, (social) cognition, emotion, attention and motor abilities. The programme
addresses both typical and atypical development such as in ADHD, Autism, Tourette or Williams Syndrome.

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Problem-Based Learning
0
PSY4950
Education Office
Wladimir van Mansum
The choice for Maastricht as a place to study also means a
choice for an educational approach quite different to what
is offered elsewhere. In Maastricht, education is based on
the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method.
As opposed to other traditional educational approaches,
Problem-Based Learning is not centred around the transfer
of information from the lecturer to the student, but rather
based on the learning process of the student.
In small groups of approximately 12 members who meet
once or twice weekly, students discuss specific problems in
depth. These problems are formulated in such a way that
students are led to pose all types of explanatory questions;
e.g. how did the phenomenon presented come about?
Based on this discussion, students formulate the subject
matter to be studied.
The PBL approach and group discussions stimulate students
to acquire relevant knowledge, insight and skills relatively
independently. This emphasis on self-motivation is a core
feature of Problem-Based Learning. After individually
acquiring the relevant knowledge, it is shared with the
other group members and discussed.
To get to know the basics of the way PBL groups work, this
module addresses the way the problem are dealt with
during the sessions: the 7-step approach. Also the skills
needed to function within these groups are an important
feature of this module. Working together as a team, making
sure all group members get the opportunity to join the
discussion. How to communicate with each other, taking
into account the different backgrounds of all group
members. And how to lead a discussion, as a student
discussion leader during these sessions.

Goals

Instruction language
Prerequisites
Recommended literature
Teaching methods
Assessment methods
Key words

Getting to know the PBL system, the 7 step approach,

functioning in groups. Communication skills, leading a
discussion, reflecting on group processes, and own
functioning as a group member
Eng
E-reader.
PBL
Training
Work in subgroups
Attendance
PBL, communication skills, feedback, reflection

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Instruction language
Prerequisites
Recommended literature
Teaching methods
Assessment methods
Key words

Infancy
1
PSY4031
4
Cognitive Neuroscience
Hans Stauder
In no other period during our development do our brain and
behaviour change so fundamentally and quickly as they do
during infancy. This poses particular methodological
constraints on the design of experiments and the selection of
participants, whose ages are typically expressed in weeks. An
additional challenge in infancy research is the limitation posed
on communication. Questioning and instructions are of no use
in infancy research and so there is reliance on indirect
measurement methods like habituation paradigms or brain
imaging methods. Nevertheless, many fascinating findings
have emerged in recent years concerning often unexpected
cognitive capacities of infants.
The course commences by addressing specific problems in
infancy research and covers the methods used to meet or
resolve these problems. Next, biological and behavioural
aspects of pre- and post natal development are discussed, in
particular concerning their consequences for later cognitive
development. The study of object recognition and object
permanence is shown to play a fundamental role in cognitive
development during infancy. Individual differences and critical
periods are illustrated by a number of developmental
disorders. Finally, the early development of social cognition
and consciousness is addressed.
Knowledge of:
Biological and psychological development from conception to
four years of age, methods and techniques in infant research.
EN
E-reader.
Lecture(s)
PBL
Attendance
Written exam
critical period, object permanence, face processing, joint
attention

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Instruction language
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Recommended literature
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Assessment methods
Key words

Perception, Attention and Motor Development

1
PSY4032
4
Cognitive Neuroscience
Lisa Jonkman
Although perception, attention and motor function undergo
the most spectacular changes during infancy, development
proceeds throughout the course of an individuals entire
lifespan. In the course, students will become acquainted with
theories and experimental findings related to the
development of these functions, with an emphasis on
biological and physiological models. Knowledge about the way
in which brain development is linked to the development of
specific cognitive functions is crucial for determining the
constraints of development theories. During the course, it will
become evident to students that perception and motor
development are closely related to attention development.
Developmental disorders in perception, attention or motor
functions can have divergent consequences, depending on the
age at which they start. The consequences for brain
development and the speed of the development of other
functions are different, for instance, if a person is born deaf or
if a person becomes deaf at a later age. During the course, a
number of common childhood disorders associated with
deviant development of perception, attention or motor
functions will be discussed. The focus here is on
neuropsychological and neurobiological theories on the
origins of these developments. Other specific topics are the
development of bottom-up versus top-down attention
processes and the role of eye-movements, the development of
executive functions and frontal cortex, the development of
perceptual-motor functions, ADHD, Gilles de la Tourette and
possible intervention and rehabilitation methods (both
pharmacological as well as cognitive).
Knowledge of:
Life-span cognitive development, neurobiological theories on
cognitive development, constructivism, maturationalism,
visual perception development, eye-movement development,
attention development, executive control development,
frontal lobe development, motor control development,
development of action-perception integration, structural brain
development, ADHD, Gilles de la Tourette, fronto-striatal
circuits, dopaminergic and noradrenergic hypothesis for
ADHD.
EN
Research articles, book chapters.
Lecture(s)
PBL
Attendance
Written exam
childhood, adolescence, attention, visual perception, executive
control, motor development, ADHD

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Instruction language
Prerequisites
Recommended literature
Teaching methods

Assessment methods
Key words

Practical training: Measuring Attention and Executive

Functions in Behavioural Paradigms
1
PSY4033
2
Cognitive Neuroscience
Lisa Jonkman
Students will perform several attention and executive
function tasks that are frequently applied in clinical and nonclinical developmental settings. The group data will be
gathered and given to the students so that they can perform
statistical analyses on the data. Each student formulates a
research question based on the literature. All research
questions will focus on themes within the field of childhood
development of attention and executive control and
associated disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder or
ADHD. At the end of the course, students will present and
discuss their findings in both group meetings and in a
written report.
Knowledge of:
Experimental paradigms to measure attention and executive
functions, how to define a valid research question, apply
statistics to developmental data and interpret results, write
a research paper.
EN
Journal articles, book chapters.
Assignment(s)
Paper(s)
Presentation(s)
Research
Skills
Training(s)
Work in subgroups
Attendance
Final paper
attention, executive functions, childhood development,
experimental psychology, writing

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Instruction language
Prerequisites
Recommended literature
Teaching methods

Assessment methods
Key words

Practical training: EEG and ERP

1
PSY4034
2
Cognitive Neuroscience
Fren Smulders
Electroencephalography (EEG) and Event Related Potentials
(ERP) offer a combination of precise measurements for the
time course of brain processes. These are low cost, noninvasive measurements and are widely available. For these
reasons they make a unique contribution to cognitive
neuroscience. Scientific interest in EEG and ERP is growing,
and results have been increasingly integrated with other
neuro-imaging techniques during the last few decades.
Lectures and basic literature provide an introduction for
students to the basics of EEG and ERP research, EEG and ERP
terminology and the possibilities and limitations within EEG
and ERP. One topic that students will learn is how to set up an
experimental paradigm that is suitable for EEG and ERP
measurements. Students also study practical measurement
issues, such as electrode placement and types of artefacts.
Finally, students must interpret the resulting data. Successful
measurement requires an understanding of the basics of EEG
and ERP signal analysis techniques, such as artefact
management, spectral analysis, filtering, ERP averaging, timefrequency analysis etc. Students also receive hands-on training
in smaller groups in running an ERP experiment, including
electrode application, minimising artefacts, and health and
safety in the lab. A number of simple experimental paradigms
will be utilised; these provide interesting and reliable results.
Data processing will include a number of common EEG
analyses, e.g. analyses in the time and frequency domain.
Knowledge of:
Basic EEG/ERP paradigms, EEG recording systems,
measurement settings, electrode application, data quality
verification, analogue-digital conversion, basic EEG / ERP
components, interpreting topographical plots, neural origins
of EEG, time domain analysis, frequency domain analysis,
time-frequency analysis, filtering, ocular artefact control,
muscle artefact control, choice of reference, re-referencing.
EN
Journal articles, handbooks.
Lecture(s)
Paper(s)
Skills
Training(s)
Work in subgroups
Attendance
Final paper
Electroencephalography (EEG), Event-related potentials (ERP),
electrophysiology, measurement, analysis of brain potentials.

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Instruction language
Prerequisites
Recommended literature
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Assessment methods
Key words

Development of Cognition and Language

2
PSY4035
4
Cognitive Neuroscience
Hans Stauder
This course will provide an introduction to changes that
underlie normal and abnormal development of the childs
cognitive system. This development is described from one year
of age and concentrates on changes in thinking and language
and interdependencies due in part to changes in brain
structures. Two questions are important in a developmental
approach: which changes take place as a child gets older and
how do these changes occur? These questions seek to identify
the nature of the changes. For example, by looking at the
changes that take place if children learn mental addition and
subtraction. If differences in behaviour between two age
groups are indeed identified and specified in terms of their
underlying competence, this may suggest what lies behind
these changes. This leads to the next question, which relates to
the mechanisms that influence behaviour. Developmental
mechanisms are especially relevant to complex symbolic skills
such as reading and arithmetic that can be conceived as
cascaded processes which generally span a long period of time
and consist of many components. The study of these
mechanisms and their basis in the brain is complex and
addresses many methodological issues that will be also
discussed in the course. During the course students will also
look at more specific examples of age related changes in
cognition and language, for instance, number representation,
word learning, visual-spatial working memory, explicit long
term memory, dyslexia and other developmental disorders.
Knowledge of:
Functional development based on cortical development,
mental number line development, mental arithmetic,
visuospatial working memory, long-term explicit memory,
word spurt, development of reading, bilingualism, Learning
Disability.
EN
Journal articles, book chapters.
Lecture(s)
PBL
Attendance
Written exam
cognitive development, language development, brain
development, memory, number knowledge, word-learning

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Instruction language
Prerequisites
Recommended literature
Teaching methods
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Key words

Social Emotional Development

2
PSY4036
4
Cognitive neuroscience
Harry Smit
Emotions are an essential part of our life. In every
generation, humans develop the skills to express the most
subtle of emotions and learn to recognise and understand
emotions, moods and the thoughts of others. They enter into
extremely complex social and emotional interactions with
other people. This course will discuss scientific studies about
how social emotional life develops. Social emotional
development will be studied at four levels. Firstly on the
genetic level: students will analyse the role of genes in social
emotional development through the study of
psychopathologies. Examples include the syndrome of Rett
and Williams, autism and psychopathy. Secondly is the level
of brain mechanisms (e.g. the role of structures like the
amygdala in the development of social cognition). Thirdly is
the neuropsychological level: How do cognitive functions (as
represented in a theory of mind) and emotional expressions
(like blushing) develop and how is their development
mediated by brain structures? Lastly, is the level of
evolutionary psychology: Why have specific developmental
patterns been selected during the course of evolution? Since
social emotional development is not only of theoretical
interest, the course also deals with practical implications of
theories about social emotional development.
Knowledge of:
Theories of development, cause and object of emotion;
genetics; laws of Mendel; model of Ledoux; syndrome of Rett
and Williams; imitation; mirror neurons; theory of mind,
empathy, instrumental helping; altruism; theories of moral
development, moral emotions; autism, extreme male brain;
temperament; aggression, psychopathy.
EN
Journal articles, book chapters.
Lecture(s)
PBL
Attendance
Written exam
theory of mind, empathy, moral development, autism,
aggression, psychopathy

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Instruction language
Prerequisites
Recommended literature
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Assessment methods
Key words

Practical training: Psychological Tests

2
PSY4037
2
Cognitive Neuroscience
Hans Stauder
This practical training course is concerned with psychological
tests which are used to assess cognitive development and
functioning of children at various ages. More specifically,
students will learn basic skills for administering and
interpreting mental capacity tests for children and will
increase their reflection on these skills. For example,
students can gain experience in administering the WISC and
SON tests and in interpreting child behaviour using Bayley
Scales of Infant Development (BSID-II-NL).
Knowledge of:
Administering and interpreting mental capacity tests.
EN
Users guides of the mental capacity tests, selected papers.
Assignment(s)
Lecture(s)
Paper(s)
Skills
Final paper
Cognitive capacity tests, IQ tests, WISC, SON, BSID.

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Research Proposal, Research Internship and Masters Thesis

3-6
PSY4092, PSY4090, and PSY4091
40 (5, 25, and 10, respectively). The total research internship
will be assigned 40 credits: 30 credits for the research
activities, including the research proposal (5 credits; graded
pass/fail) and the practical execution of the internship (25
credits; graded assessment, but not included in the GPA), and
10 credits (graded assessment) for the masters thesis.
Clinical Psychological Science
Sandra Mulkens
The second part of the one-year masters programme (from period
3 onwards), is devoted to conducting a research internship that
involves 1) planning, 2) conducting, and 3) analyzing the results of
the students own research project. This work will result in an
individually written 4) masters thesis.
The internship can be undertaken at Maastricht University, at
an external research institute or at other practically oriented
institutions. In all cases, a students research proposal and
masters thesis will be evaluated by two assessors. At least one
of these assessors is a (senior) researcher at the Faculty of
Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN). The other assessor can be
an external (senior) researcher. One of the assessors must hold
a PhD, the other can be a PhD student.
Information about research internships offered by faculty
members can be found on EleUM > FPN Master Students >
internships/stages.
Internship coordinators differ per master track:
Psychology and Law: Kim van Oorsouw,
Phone (043) 38 84050, 40 Universiteitssingel East, Room 3.767,
Email: k.vanoorsouw@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Health and Social Psychology: Sandra Mulkens,
Phone (043) 38 84052, 40 Universiteitssingel East, Room 3.755,
Email: s.mulkens@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Work and Social Psychology: Robert van Doorn,
Phone (043) 38 81926, 40 Universiteitssingel East, Room 4.731,
Email: r.vandoorn@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Developmental Psychology: Hans Stauder,
Phone (043) 38 81933, 55 Oxfordlaan, Room 2.009,
Email: h.stauder@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Cognitive Neuroscience: Amanda Kaas,
Phone (043) 38 82172, 55 Oxfordlaan, Room 2.019,
Email: a.kaas@maastrichtuniversity.nl

Goals

Neuropsychology: Caroline van Heugten,

Phone (043) 38 84 213, 40 Universiteitssingel East, Room
2.736, Email: caroline.vanheugten@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Knowledge of:

10

Instruction language
Prerequisites
Recommended literature
Teaching methods

Assessment methods

Key words

Conducting a supervised empirical research project and

summarising their research in a masters thesis.
EN
At least 2 of the 4 compulsory theoretical courses of the
Masters track must be passed.
Assignment(s)
Paper(s)
Research
Skills
Working visit(s)
Attendance
Final paper
Observation
Participation
internship, research, research proposal, masters thesis

11